Quality Systems & Performance Improvement

Quality Systems and Performance Improvement

An effective quality assurance and performance improvement function is a core competency for operational excellence in hospitals. The Quality function and systems connect the Board of Trustees to the front line staff and translates strategy into operations for focused measurement and improvement. PACE performs a rapid cycle assessment of a hospital’s current quality assurance and performance improvement based on our methodology based on structure, process and people.

Quality Management System Design is based upon years of practice and development of universal performance improvement structures. PACE Consulting begins with the hospital Performance Improvement Plan and develops the committee structure required to identify problems, and hardwire systems and improvements. The system is designed to transform the total organization into an efficient working unit while creating transparency. Through transparency the organization creates trust with all stakeholders, including community, physicians and staff, culminating in better coordination and patient care. Operational Management and Cost Reduction programs are specific to individual organizations and require engagement with all stakeholders in the organization, including physicians. PACE utilizes an educational approach coupled with accountability that is based upon proactive audit, inspect and correct (PAC) methodology. The scope of work runs the gamut of labor cost control, technology cost control, coordinated service line management, effective care management and length of stay management.

Crew Resource Management

PACE Healthcare Consulting offers a cutting-edge CRM program for hospitals that is designed to reduce medical errors and increase quality of patient care. The PACE CRM Program is a comprehensive on-site training process taught by a team of CRM experts who have experience training thousands of medical and aviation professionals in the application of Crew Resource Management. Hospitals that have received CRM training report the following results:

50% reduction in sentinel events in first 12 months following training

50% reduction in surgical count errors

Clinical error rate reduction from 30% to 4.4%

53% reduction in adverse outcomes

55% reduction in observed errors

Quicker expertise with new technologies

Increased staff retention

Greater productivity

Crew Resource Management (CRM) is a system of effective teamwork, open communication, and optimized decision-making for high-risk environments. CRM was developed 15 years ago in the aviation industry in response to unacceptable accident rates, and is now migrating to the healthcare industry as an innovative approach to improving patient safety. In the mid 1990’s the aviation industry was experiencing over 750 passenger fatalities per one million flights due to pilot error. Today, as a result of CRM, aviation is the safest high-risk industry in the world with less than one fatality per one million flights.

Crew Resource Management is a culture change system built on six pillars that maximize team performance in high-pressure, high-risk environments:

Leadership

Communication

Decision Making

Situational Awareness

Resource Management

Task Management

CRM is rapidly spreading to the healthcare industry due to the system’s proven results in aviation, and because of the inherent similarities between the two industries. Healthcare and aviation organizations both employ highly-specialized professionals who routinely perform complex procedures that can have catastrophic consequences resulting from errors. Alarmingly, according to the Institute of Medicine, the healthcare industry is currently experiencing over 22,000 preventable fatalities per one million patients due to medical errors.

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